


Can't Find Our Asses With a Map

by Wolfie1991



Series: Asses With a Map [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Children, F/F, Found Family, Post-Canon, Their adult life, WhiteRose a gay mess but they are their gay mess, a gay mess with a little help from their friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2019-12-26 09:53:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18280739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfie1991/pseuds/Wolfie1991
Summary: "Hey Ruby! I just lost my name can I take yours?"Ah! But wait, we start our tale a little before that....***Ruby and Weiss are experienced Huntresses, kickass friends and all around competent adults but some major life decisions are going to need a little help from their friends.The story of their life together, the family they found along the way and all the copious nudges, shoves and hints they receive from the Universe at large to get a damn move on.This chapter: Ruby and Weiss drop some important news at the gathered family in MenagerieCanon compliant as of Volume 6, post-canon but keeping as close as possible to canon with a big shout-out to @omnical (general_mustachio) for letting me borrow his Bees!





	1. Vacuo Roads, Take Me Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [omnical (general_mustachio)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/general_mustachio/gifts).



Ruby’s backpack slapped against the dirty floorboards of the rundown shack they had stumbled into in the middle of Vacuo, Weiss’s own meager possessions falling down the next second as well.

“Not the worst place we've crashed?” She said with a sort of hopeful grimace, turning to her girlfriend as Weiss slumped on the rickety stool. Looking out the half broken window, she pursed her lips, deep in thought on how in the world would they manage to finish this job. 

The Geist they had been trailing for a month was ancient, it had to be judging by its gargantuan size and their message back from Professor Port informed them it was probably a couple of centuries old. Worst of all, elder Grimm were smarter Grimm so instead of trying its best to destroy them, the Geist hid from them and doubled back to cause trouble to the small settlement that hired them. Ruby wasn’t about to fail on this, the little farming community had been surviving on the outskirts of the desert for decades and they’d be damned if they would meet their end because of a Grimm with a penchant to play hide and seek.

The only thing that greeted her was sparse vegetation, craggy mountains and the billowing sand from the coming storm that had forced them to seek shelter but answers did not seem to be forthcoming.

There were harsh lessons to be learned in Vacuo but the people who lived there were resourceful and resilient in ways a pampered member of Atlesian high society could not even dream of. Weiss was particularly fond of their outlook, called it a refreshing sincerity and an odd yet strong sense of community. 

Grimm, bandits, natural disasters were nothing to the good people of Divor who had dumped the Lien they had scrounged together from the community plus free food and leather supplies for them to deal with ‘the Grimm issue’ like an extremely powerful Geist that was gods knew how many centuries old was no more than a fact of life and not a terrifying abomination.

“The worst place we crashed was definitely that ice cave after a Nevermore stole our backpacks.” And then they had nearly frozen to death, having to waste Dust to keep warm and dry out their clothes while they shivered buck naked underneath Ruby’s still dry cape. It was a minor miracle no Grimm had decided to trail them there, using Dust while reeking of desperation was the best way to lead a pack of monsters right to their doorstep.

“Tell me about it! At least Blake managed to crank in a chapter of we must cuddle naked together then have improper outdoors sex for her books cause of that.” Ruby chuckled, leaning down to kiss Weiss just as Weiss was about to yank off her top to stave off the oppressive heat. She got a huffy shove but still got a kiss back, beaming a grin at her. “I honestly don’t know how could anyone be in the mood for sex but I suppose her readers don’t even know what snow is, much less hypothermia.”

They had printed out the chapter of ‘Freezing Passions’ that had the scene, scribbled over the smut with snarky commentary of what would happen realistically before sending it over to Yang and Blake’s place in Patch. The sheet with a drawn on middle finger was the most satisfying response they could have received.

“I think Blake said it hasn't snowed in Kuo Kuana in about a century. Oof.” Weiss stretched her arms over her head, her back popping in relief. “we still have to figure out our plan of attack with the Geist.”

Ruby nodded, taking off her boots, skirt and cape with care to not disturb any blisters or burns. The sun had been beating on them day in and day out and her skin had definitely not taken after her dad’s as she winced at the burnt skin in the back on her neck and shoulders. Squatting down, she fetched something to eat from her backpack and held out a protein bar to Weiss. 

She looked around, eyes landing on a half broken stove and the shambling bed that was propped up by old tractor parts. Weiss was doing the same, getting up to inspect the stove and grunting her positive appraisal.

“We can convince this piece of crap to cook and by the gods, I can’t wait for a warm meal.” Weiss said that and Ruby’s stomach growled loudly, making her groan.

“The dream, really.”

Not for the first time Ruby wondered how had they managed to live on the road for the past 5 years, completely devoid of a permanent residence and instead jumping from contract to contract, crashing wherever they could. Some days it meant renting a nice apartment, full of modern amenities. Most often though, their jobs took them to the far flung corners of Anima and they found temporary residence in all manner of farmyard haylofts, shady ins, run down buildings and abandoned spots. 

After figuring out Salem had gone completely underground when they deposited the lamp in Atlas, Ruby had found herself at 20 years of age and with more experience under her belt than many huntsmen ever managed to get in their whole lifetimes. Teams RWBY and JNPR had passed their certification exams with near unprecedented flying colours and off they had tossed themselves into the world.

Blake had diplomatic responsibilities to which Yang often accompanied and they were set to be married as soon as their house in Patch was completed. Weiss and Ruby had ran in the opposite direction of that, going into Huntress work full time and beyond some supply caches in some major hubs, all they owned and needed was on their trusty backpacks. 

“There's a well out back, if we hurry we can probably fill the oversized watering trough I spotted inside the shed before the storm makes it impossible to be outside.” Weiss was sore and doubly as sunburnt as Ruby but she got up slowly, still eating her protein bar. “Let me just check if the tank isn't busted.”

With a peck on her lips, Ruby vanished outside, mumbling a quick prayer that the well wasn't dried up.

The trough was beyond gross, not to mention old and rusty. There was probably about ten thousand diseases shuffling about, little germs cackling with glee but truth be told, they were probably gross enough to make bacteria vomit and that was that.

Sanitary concerns aside, several bucket trips later and their makeshift bathtub was full of pristine water. As soon as they set foot on it, the water turned decidedly less pristine but the luxury of being able to bathe in the desert of all places was something they did not take lightly.

Ruby had her longer legs tucked to her side, a late adolescence growth spurt shooting her up to a much less compact height and leveling her with her older sister. Made reaching taller cabinets much easier but made cuddling with Weiss in their makeshift tub that much harder. 

“Remember when we could both fit in a standard sized bath without us having to fold like a paper crane? Those were the days.” Weiss said, leaning with her back against Ruby's chest and scooting as close as she could without sloshing the water all the way out.

“Aww Weiss, you're just mad you haven't gotten any height since you were like...ten?” She laughed, getting a backhand poke on her forehead from an indignant girlfriend.

A small glyph materialized underneath the trough, the pleasant chill counteracting the mid afternoon desert heat as the howling wind and sand pelted against the walls of their dwelling. They remained like that for a while, Ruby closing her eyes and enjoying Weiss’ warm skin on hers. Comfort was a rare commodity, a side effect of their Huntress lives and they did not miss the opportunity to indulge.

“Hey Ruby… I was thinking, are you happy?” She said, leaning forward and shoving part of her curtain of hair in the water in an attempt to wash it. Ruby's hands settled on her now exposed neck without any prompting and her calloused palms worked the sore muscles in the vicinity with expert care. The relief was near instant and she soon realized the built up tension she was carrying there. 

Nearly a decade as a Huntress and Weiss hadn't learned anything about stress management, much to Klein's dismay. Fortunately, she had a partner who was more than willing to give her a hand.

Gods, Ruby always knew exactly where to touch and the sound she made in response was embarrassing enough to get a chuckle out of her girlfriend. 

Somewhere in the recesses of her mind was a huffy teen Weiss, completely indignant that she let her dolt of a leader so close but adult Weiss could only ponder she probably wanted to spend the rest of her lif-

“I'm starving! I'll be way happier when we get that wreck to heat us up some food.”

Maybe teen Weiss wasn't completely wrong.

“You would be the worst siege soldier on the planet!” 

“It's not my fault! It's my semblance!”

They continued to snark at each other through dinner and tidying up, delaying getting dressed to void some tension in a harmless way.

Bickering was more than a second nature to them, it was more like a before-first-nature. The heat had since bled from Weiss’ tone in the past few years and Ruby had gotten really good at knowing what buttons to press to make for an entertaining discussion, though their friends couldn't stand to hear them go at it so they preferred to flirt-bicker in private.

It probably didn't help they usually started making out whenever their banter reached a boiling point.

After exhausting both conversation and snark, they shuffled off to bed, Ruby's arm around Weiss’ shoulder and her body flush against Ruby's sturdy side.

The storm beat in the rickety wood of the shack with howling intensity and Ruby tensed every time a larger rock slapped on the tin roof. She wasn't a fan of inclement weather and her mind boggled at Weiss sleeping peacefully in her arms, drooling a little on her chest when the ceiling was clearly at risk of collapsing on them.

The hours ticked away, the desert heat bleeding out into the relative chill of the night and Weiss nuzzled as close as she could to her body heat. For a woman that couldn't relax a single beat when she was awake, she sure dropped her guard with reckless abandon when she slept.

As the storm finally calmed to a low hiss on the window cracks, Ruby smiled at her sleeping form one last time. Yeah, maybe she couldn't relax while she had to put on her best Weiss Schnee performance for the world but it made her heart full to burst knowing that Weiss felt safe enough in her arms to set aside the Arma Gigas wrapping she so proudly wore and simply...be.

Ruby kissed her messy hair, laying one arm around her torso with gentle care and she had to keep in her chuckle when the reply was a sleepy murr and a nuzzle. Her back relaxed into the broken springs of the mattress and Ruby sighed, welcoming deeper sleep at long last.

Before slamming her eyes open and staring down at the woman sleeping in her arms, panic flooding her veins with fire. “Uuuuuh? Weiss? I hmmm… just wanted to let you know I'm happy!” Weiss made a garbled noise, frowning in confusion before tensing up and opening her eyes in a slow, deliberate blink. “With you! And like with us too! I was just really hungry.”

“...I’m going to forgive your doltiness just this once cause I had the same revelation mid last night.” Weiss rebuked, tone raspy with sleep and she eyed Ruby with only one eye open. “I'm glad you are, for the record, I am as well.”

“If Yang was here, she'd use her emotional big brain to know you asked for a purpose I totally missed.” 

She groaned with the palm of her hand on her brow with much more drama than Ruby felt was warranted ( but such was Weiss), disentangling from her arms and lifting her torso out of bed like a ghoul stuck with a live wire.

“Yang is really smart even when she's not here.” But in truth, Ruby was exuding an aura of such earnest tension and worry that she couldn't be too mad. If Weiss had really wanted to talk about it, she'd have corrected Ruby but she chickened out and took the path of least resistance. “But I got cold feet too and didn't pursue the topic, so don't beat yourself too much over it.”

“So... what's up?” 

What was up in truth? Weiss wasn't even half sure herself, it wasn't as if she was unhappy with their situation. It was the best thing in her life to do what they did, righting wrongs, not having to put up with fuckoffs of the Whitley sort, having the genuine thanks for their efforts. Plus, doing all of that with Ruby made her life make the sort of sense she never thought she would find. Yet… 

“Someone, probably tall and responsible for you being here today, signed me up for the Signal Academy newsletter, of which the topic was that they will be looking for a replacement for a retiring teacher and they need someone to start next school year.” She started, deciding to take the scenic route but Ruby's eyes widened in panic and Weiss knew she'd have to be more direct. “Qrow, who I'm assuming is the co conspirator in this mission, send me a text saying and I quote” She lifted her hands to do the air quotes gesture, getting her girlfriend to quirk a smile. “This is the Stray Huntress Rescue Shelter, consider it.” Her gruff Qrow impression was spot on, getting Ruby to giggle. 

Mission accomplished.

“Are you considering?”

“I can't say I'm not but wanted to talk it over with you first.” She settled back down against the wall “I’m a bit torn...Life has been great for us, you know? Given the situation with Salem, this is the best case scenario.”

The implication of it hung between them like a dead weight, settling with undue pressure on their hearts.  _ Given the situation _ , given knowing that at any time they could have to drop everything and run into the fray once more. What chance did that even give them of settling down, getting comfortable knowing there was not a huge target on their backs.

“I hear a but there and I don’t even need to ask Yang about it.” Ruby replied, her tone soft but it betrayed an underlying nervousness that something was wrong and she had missed it. 

“But...you know, Ruby, you're a bird. You were made to fly free, you belong to the world. More than that, the world needs you as much as you need the world.”

“But the world doesn't come before you, Weiss, I promise! If you want to change please…” 

Weiss grabbed her hand, fingers strong and calloused from her years with Crescent Rose, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Look, just hear me out because I worked very hard on this convoluted metaphor.”

She set her mouth in a tight line but relented with a nod, eyebrows still knitted together with worry but she would do her best to wait to hear the whole thing before she took further action.

“You're a bird, Ruby but even birds need nests and flocks you know? And me, well I figure I'm more of a cat.” Weiss suppressed a chuckle at Ruby's look of confusion but she continued on. “There is nothing in this world I like more than roaming with you, helping people out where being a Schnee means squat compared to being a Huntress capable of stopping Grimm. That being said, I also like a warm home with comfortable places to nap in.”

“Not to point out the obvious but birds and cats don’t exactly get along though, to be fair, you nearly murdered me when we met.” 

Weiss made a motion to wag her finger at her ever so favorite dolt but halted midway. Now wasn’t the time to go on a bantering tangent, no matter how tempting the opening for it was. “I did say it was a convoluted metaphor! I guess what I mean is, I think it might be time for us to just maybe consider pulling a Yang Blake and get a house in Patch so at least we can say we own a fridge and a good bed.”

A home base. A place to put her boots up on a table that she effectively owned without having to grump at landlords, negotiate with farm hands or kick bandits out to occupy. Ruby could see the next 20 years of her life unfold from that one thought - find a forest-y nook in Patch with ample space, shove a pool in the backyard, host the horde of niblings Yang and Blake were sure to be plotting on having, decorate it well enough for a wedding reception with all their friends and Weiss’ crappy family and maybe even chil-

Her warm thoughts were shattered by the looming spectre that had been dictating their life for the past decade, even if they refused to admit it or even do anything but vaguely acknowledge it. 

All of her life, she saw the people she loved the most be victims of this circumstance. Her father had lost two of his loves, one who walked out when the going got too rough and her own mother who probably ran headfirst into one of Salem's many schemes. Her uncle was haunted by the responsibility of keeping hope alive. Her professors and mentors had, in one way or another, been involved with it and so had many innocent people who had no clue of what was going on.

On one hand, their parents had failed to thrive in a world where their eyes were open to the larger truth of Remnant but on the other hand...

Maybe Weiss was right, maybe it was time to stop running and to start living. Blake and Yang were getting married, Nora and Ren were expecting their first kid and even Jaune and Pyrrha had settled in Argos to stay close to both their families but that hadn't meant they weren't vigilant and prepared to face the music.

If the symphony ever came back that was. As an immortal, Salem could simply wait to outlive all of them and strike down when they weren't there to oppose her.

If, if, if! Who did Salem think she was, hindering their lives even when she wasn't around. They'd show her, they'd do more than survive and scramble to keep their heads above water.

They would be the happy and nothing would piss her off more than knowing she had no power over them anymore.

“Ruby?” A hand settled on her clenched jaw and she was startled out of her furious thinking with a small jolt. Weiss was giving her the same concerned looks she had been tossing her way at the start of their conversation.

“Yes! I want that too.” She nodded, relief bubbling on her chest as she released a lifetime of tension she hadn't known she had been holding in all of this time. “Owning my own fridge? I couldn't be happier!” 

She looked at Weiss and shot her the patented Ruby Rose grin, the sort of smile that had seen their team through so many things, that reassured that no matter what, she was there for them. The smile Weiss had fallen head over heels in love with so long ago.

Weiss laughed, leaning over to kiss her with all of her feelings bubbling beneath the surface and when they stopped, both of them were more than a little disoriented.

“What's the plan then? Gonna take my dad's bait?” Tai was a family man through and through, Ruby was just surprised he hadn't pulled the teacher card sooner. If he could gather all his girls in one place, he'd create all the conditions possible for it to have a chance of happening.

“Not full time, no. I'd miss all of this too much and besides I can't let you gallivant off on your own or I suspect you'd be conned by the first cookie bearing Grimm you'd find.” 

“Aww, I love you too!” There was that grin again and she was glad she was already laying down or Weiss suspected her knees wouldn't hold her up. “Oh...wait! You don't mind me still being a Huntress full time?” She chuckled and shook her head, of course Ruby would worry about that. “but you'd be alone all the time. I could teach too or stay stationed in Patch, keeping stuff calm”

And even though she was more than willing, Weiss had no doubt she would succeed at it and never ever feel trapped but she also knew that wasn't Ruby at her happiest. She vibrated at a frequency much higher than anything Patch had to offer and if Weiss was being honest, most of the time so did she.

“Hmm, well sure you could but as I said, Ruby, you belong to the world. I know that and I want to be here for you, in person and back home.” She replied, running her hand through black and red tresses with soft ease. “I want you to have a safe nest, a place where you and I can set down our burdens and surround ourselves with family when this life starts stressing us out.”

Winter had taught her that once, if she was feeling tired she had to learn to rest instead of quitting. She remembered  quietly at the notion, quitting wasn't in her blood and the shame that her amazing older sister thought so lowly of her as to think she'd do something as pedestrian as give up had fueled her penchant for perfection even harder. That had been over a decade ago and Weiss had progressively digested that concept, that she could feel tired...and that quitting was in her blood too, something people did to avoid severe harm.

It was time to truly learn to rest.

Weiss rolled to the other side, half sticking her tiny body off the edge of the bed and scrambling for her backpack. She fished her scroll from the depths and with a couple of taps, she turned it to Ruby. “Tai and Qrow aren't the only ones in on the get team RWBY to settle down mission. Yang sent me a photo of the plot literally down the lane from them with a huge for sale sign.” The photo also had an obnoxiously obvious highlight circling the sign, as if it wasn't the only thing that showed up. “And Blake offhandedly mentioned their carpenter would throw us a 30% discount if we were, somehow and for no reason at all, in the market for furniture.”

“Wow, they have been plotting for a while” Ruby rubbed her hands on her face, replying with a perfect deadpan. “They were going to ambush us in Menagerie next, weren't they? Blake and Yang's bachelor bash my ass! They just want enough people to throw sad eyes at us.”

They looked at each other for a second and then started laughing, leaning back in bed like they were still at Beacon and their biggest concern was staying awake through Professor Port's lessons. Even though Weiss felt like something massive had just shifted in their relationship, it had been such an easy decision she couldn’t help but be completely giddy over it. “All things considered, I do think that they saw the opportunity to have us all in one place and also force us stop skirting our responsibility to help them plan their state wedding under the guise of some wicked Menagerie partying.”

“Can't say Yang and Blake don't know what buttons to push. Doing nothing for a bit sounds perfect, I think this is one of our longest hauls yet” Settling down inside the ratty covers and jury rigged sleeping mats, Ruby snuggled close to Weiss. A hand rubbed at her scalp and settled on her hair, combing it in a soothing manner.

“About that, we're gonna need backup or we risk continuing chasing our tails like novices.” And as much as she hated the thought of having to risk out anyone else, Weiss was right.

“I've been turning it over in my head, the only options we have are one of us spooking the Geist into running back to the farmsteads and then catching it there before it can make a complete mess but that's.”

“Really risky for a beast of that caliber, either one of us would be in the fight of our lives or worst would be that civilians might be harmed if we lose control of the situation.”

Ruby nodded, nuzzling Weiss’ side and trying hard to push away her mounting exhaustion. “Our other option is to call Team JNPR for backup. Plan remains the same but we put enough heavy hitters in the farmsteads that we have a chance of getting through this without severe risks.” At least, none they could predict. Things had gone south in novel ways many times before. “Even without Nora, I think we could do it.”

The only right tit would be surviving Nora's temper at being reminded that she couldn't actively be out on missions while she was pregnant.

“Best if we conference call them tomorrow, they are probably halfway through Vale at this point.”

“I'm glad they aren't in Menagerie yet or we'd never convince Yang and Blake to stay put in the Belladonna princess compound.”

Ruby winced and rubbed her brow. “There is still a big chance they won't.”

“...true that, indeed.” Weiss breathed in and exhaled slowly, trying to keep her bone breaking tiredness in check. This hunt was testing the limits of their endurance and if it dragged on too long, it would surely break them. “Try to sleep, Ruby. I'll watch over your dreams, promise.” She blushed a bit but kept running her fingers through Ruby's scalp, noticing the dark rings under those bright silver eyes.

It was clearly a problem for morning them and after a whole session of hardcore feelings and heavy life decisions, even Ruby had exhausted her seemingly endless pool of energy and was definitely struggling to keep her eyes open.

Somewhere in the back of her consciousness, she felt Weiss hold her close and kiss her hair. Definitely a problem for after she managed to sleep more than an hour.

 

* * *

 

_ 8 am. _

Jaune was, generally, a lucky man. Stuff kinda had always aligned his way, more or less, but the message that pinged in his scroll was about to test that.

The distant hum of the airship they were on was hurtling at full speed towards Menagerie for Blake and Yang's wedding prep party and please-help-us-we're-going-nuts help session but he suspected they would be leaving on the next port and backtracking to Vacuo.

‘ _ Hey Esteemed Team Leader (Weiss says I shouldn’t call you vomit boy when I need you to book it to our location somehow without Nora), the awesome section of Team RWBY needs a conference call with team JPR-Nora-Who-Will-Murder-You over the Grimm we’ve been chasing. _

_ Please tell me you’re not in Menagerie yet and if you are, hide from my sister and Blake. _

_ Call us whenever and we’ll give you the details. Hi Pyrrha!  _

_ Much love, _

_ Ruby and Weiss who has butted in on the writing of this message _

 

“Gods, am I relieved to hear from them. After they managed to send back those photos and then went into massive radio silence, I didn’t want to expect the worse.” Pyrrha confessed, exhaling in relief from her side of the airship bed but Jaune was looking at one daunting job.

Thunder God, meet not going to aid your friends. That was sure to go swimmingly.

“Must be one supermassive Grimm for them, of all people, to admit defeat.” Ruby and Weiss were famous in the Huntsmen circles for their efficient services, not to mention Ruby's overflowing charisma and their refusal to demand more than people could pay did wonders for their reputation. “I hope they are ok, Ruby always sounds chipper but a month in Vacuo? Yeesh, can't imagine.” He finished, scratching his cheek, the sound of unshaved stubble informing  him he should stop being a lazy bum and get the fuzz off his face.

Pyrrha jumped out of bed with a stretch, chipper and ready for a team meeting while Jaune hid back again underneath the covers with a long groan.

“Up and at em, team leader! We have a Nora to manage.” And without further warning, she hauled him over her broad shoulder, bed quilt and all to make for one Jaune burrito.

She was amazed at how much his cardiovascular prowess had evolved since their Beacon days, it required a considerable lung capacity to groan for the full stretch of the airship to get to Nora and Ren's room.

“Is everyone decent?” 

There was some shuffling and Nora replied. “Not dressed but nothing you haven't seen before.” After Beacon and after travelling together for ages, the breadth of that statement included not only fellow co-conspirators team RWBY but also all types and forms of casual nudity.

“Decent enough!” She opened the door, Jaune still making whale noises from his cocoon of quilts. 

“Chipper as always, Pyrrha.” Ren commented, around a mouthful of toothpaste and inclined his toothbrush in her direction by way of greeting. “Good morning.”

With a heave, cocoon Jaune was tossed onto Ren's vacated spot on the bed and Nora patted her side for Pyrrha to sit down. 

“We got a message from Ruby and Weiss.” which was enough of an intro for Nora to narrow her eyes. “They need backup and they sound like they need it yesterday. When we manage to have zero naked crotches among us, we should call them.”

Ren bit down on his brush and tipped his head up to avoid dropping toothpaste on the carpet while he fetched about underwear and pants.

“Look, I'll get this out of the way pronto and say i'm not going ahead to Menagerie.” Her husband was half tangled in his boxers but he stopped midway and opened his mouth to argue back, Jaune groaning louder from under the quilts and Pyrrha squared her shoulders ready to knock, figuratively and perhaps not, some sense into Nora. “No huffing at me before you hear me out. I'll stay away from the fight at the nearest transport hole but if things go really, really Mistral all over again bad.” She squared her jaw, making Ren and Pyrrha soften their arguments. “I'll be your dead man switch.”

Jaune burrowed out of his protective layers and took in Nora's determination. She wasn't wrong in what she was saying but it didn't sit well with any of them even the slightest chance that Valkyrie the littlest would be at risk of seeing any action before their 17th birthday. “Ok...much as I hate to say it, you're right but you have to promise that half of us have to be damn dead already for you to go into the fray.”

“Awesome! You have yourself a deal.” She raised her hand. “Bump on it!” They bumped fists and Nora crawled all over Pyrrha to get out of bed, getting caught by a timely arm before she could flop onto the floor like a trout.

“Ren, please bear your next child because I don’t think Nora  _ remembers _ ” She stressed, setting her excitable teammate in an upright position on the floor. “That pregnant people should avoid running into hard surfaces at the speed of light.”

He finally managed to pull up some briefs and set down his toothbrush, turning back to the pile of shirts lying around. “Well, I lost the coin toss for it so we’ll just have to get some kynetic dampeners.”

Nora was out the door in just sweat pants, everyone else scrambling to follow her into the kitchen and praying the pilot wasn’t about to head for breakfast as well. “Slowing down is for losers! I’m going to make pancakes but go ahead and call them.”

Jaune, still dragging the quilt over his shoulders, sat down at the steel kitchen island and turned up his scroll. Ruby’s image popped up, tone ringing twice before she and Weiss came into view. They were the very picture of road weary Huntresses, patchy clothes, exhausted, grimy despite best efforts at cleaning and whip thin from a string of remote jobs in the past months.

The recruitment posters for the academies might make it seem romantic and adventurous however the reality of it was anything but. Romance and adventure took a clear backseat to going for potentially long stretches without food security or shelter, especially for the type of jobs Weiss and Ruby often grabbed. 

Admittedly, only a minority of them ever went at it like the Huntresses of legend. His life, full of Grimm as it was, managed to be cushy compared to that.

“Weiss, don’t know if you’ve heard but like you really don’t have a lot more mass to lose, cutie.” Nora commented from her spot on the counter over the sound of the whisk on the bowl. “I think I can see every muscle and bone on your face from here.”

Weiss looked down at their little icon and winced. Lean mass was spectacularly well conserved, against all she knew of normal biology but Nora was spot on in her observations. She looked like a medical muscle exhibit, not exactly her favorite condition. It was probably a sign for them to return to civilization and regain enough lipids to not put their bodies through massive starvation stress, a practice Ren had dubbed 'bear fattening during summer months’.

In a snap, Blake and Yang joined the call and not even a second later they were looking at them with unabashed concern. “Damnit, you two look like a pair of strung out greyhounds.” Yang furrowed her brows in worry, leaning in to look at them closer.

“Aw sis, come on don't give us grief over that. Some of us don't have food every day but we are doing fine, promise.” Ruby said, lifting up her arms in her best attempt at staving off the inevitable lecture.

There was a beat of silence, JNPR electing to sit back and let them duke it out before rejoining the conversation and the only sounds that filtered through were the whisk and Blake's warning rumble over the call.

“For now I'm going to ignore the lack of updates, the radio silence and cryptic ass message you dropped on us.” her eyes were their normal lilac but the intensity with which they bristled betrayed a much redder color. “Abs test, now.”

Weiss looked ready to argue but Blake sent her a look that said she wholeheartedly agreed with her fiancee, golden eyes flashing and jaw tensing in response. Ruby was the first to crack, tugging up her faded black tank top and letting everyone inspect her midsection and with some reluctance, Weiss soon followed.

Weiss’ midsection wasn't near as broad as Ruby's but the point was how much could be see to the naked eye and the picture it painted wasn't exactly pretty. Too much sinew and muscle, definitely not enough fat.

“You could crack walnuts with those!” A flash of red, they wouldn't be able to wiggle out of this one. “What were you thinking, taking this last job. You should have been with us much earlier, guys!” Yang had the most physically driven Semblance of them all, she was their resident expert on what Aura unconsciously did to keep a Huntress going even at the expense of other systems. Short term bypasses that could end up with serious consequences if pushed too long.

Weiss was always at a disadvantage, she didn't have much fat to burn but she conserved energy better than her partner. Ruby was tall, strong and dense. Her fighting style was ultra high energy and Crescent Rose weighed about as much as a grown adult, suffice to say Aura body cannibalism hit her harder.

“Look.” Weiss started, wincing when Yang's nostrils flared and Blake's rumbles were about to bleed into earnest growling. “A couple of our contacts nudged this one our way, about an issue another team had bailed on and it seemed like the people in the surrounding areas were pretty keen on getting rid of the Grimm.” 

“We thought we'd be in and out, some Creeper making a mess or a roving Nucklavee bursting into the lot.” For the two of them, it was almost run of the mill. “The stupid Geist is giving us a run for our lien, alright. Which why we are having this conversation in three different continents instead of sipping port in Menagerie and flashing Blake's mom accidentally again.” Ruby finished, shoving her top down and scratching at her prominent abs. It had been a calculated risk that had gone bad but nothing they couldn't survive.

“As soon as my parents see you, you're pretty much done for.” Blake finally spoke up, eyes softening to a less huffy concern. “What's the plan, Ruby?”

Sensing it was their time to step back into the conversation, Pyrrha waved at them with a smile. “Good morning everyone! Before Nora changes her mind, she twisted our arms into staying at a safe port in case we all drop dead.”

At everyone's expressions of relief, Nora grumbled and stuck her tongue out at Pyrrha while she flipped the pancakes. 

“Ok! That's one major roadblock out of the way.” Ruby smiled at Nora's indignant 'Hey!’ and her demeanor shifted, back straightening and shoulder squaring. She was all hard angles and her serious leader face was compounded by her lack of sleep and low body mass. “Our preliminary tactics are lead the Geist back to the farmstead and hang onto our pants.”

With a flick, she brought up the schematics up on the projector. “We have a possible location nearby, it has somewhat predictable dormancy periods and we have tracked it all the way out here.” A red dot appeared on the map, signaling their current location. “The plan is… Weiss goes in and spooks it into running away towards the farms. I’ll corral it and make sure to lead it back, the cliffs make for perfect sniper perches and I’ve done enough recon to be able to navigate.”

She expanded the map, flicking in some live pictures of the Grimm and Jaune hissed at the sheer size and mangled Petra Gigas forms it could take. “So, I suppose we have to wait for it to come to us. Civilian prime directive?”

Ruby nodded, no one got hurt on her watch. “Ren, I need you to conceal your team for as long as you can. We haven’t been able to ambush it so don’t underestimate its intelligence or experience. I don’t wanna chance the damn thing having any bright ideas and running from you.”

He nodded, studying the location and Pyrrha pressed her knuckle to her chin in thought. “How much metal content do you figure the rocks have over there? Anything useful?”

They shook their heads, Weiss speaking up. “Best we know, a smidge of iron content but I doubt you can do more than vaguely nudge. As soon as we leave this Grimm no choice but to engage, I think it will get exceedingly aggressive very very fast.” All of their previous clashes had been relatively avoidant. “Historical records are vague but oral history is sound, we aren't the first ones to see it but I'd like for us to be the last.”

“ What about us?” It sounded pure Grimm may care, typical Yang but they knew a threat when they heard one. Ruby wagered holding onto their pants started now and she locked eyes with her sister.

“You stay put in Menagerie.” was all she said, keeping her wince internal when Yang narrowed her eyes but it was Blake that replied, well and truly brassed off.

“Fat chance, look at that thing! You need team RWBY at it's full power and we refuse to sit here and just see you get in danger when even Nora gets to be in the fray.” Her fuzzy ears were pinned back and even though she was halfway across Remnant, they could feel the energy radiating off of her. Blake was quiet but she had a gravitational pull to her that sometimes put even Yang to shame.

“Nora is going to be as far away from this scene almost as you guys.” She didn't want to have to twist any arms but she would if Blake and Yang didn't want to stay put. “Truth is, right now you need to be in Menagerie way more than we need you here.”

Yang ducked out of the scene and bounced back up with a huge binder full of scattered papers and placeholder dolls. “You think this.” A shake of the binder, Blake turning to it to steady the too full rings before any of the little figurines and schematics were lost in the sisterly tongue lashing . “Is more important than you? Your safety? Guess what, nothing puts a bigger damper on a wedding than the bride's sister and witness-major being KIA if that's what you're worried about.”

All eyes were on Ruby, sunny, kind, loveable Ruby. “No, you stay put.” Leader, proficient Huntress, all around badass Ruby.  Before there could be a Xiao Long temper face-off from the two younger members of the lineage, she relaxed her back and lifted her hands again with a big smile “ We'll haul you in if things are dire, we promise. For now, please.” She turned her eyes, big and glossy, on her sister and Blake. Leader she was but tough love definitely wasn't a card she liked playing. “Be safe, stay in Kuo Kuana and we'll make sure the wedding gang makes it in one piece.”

Blake was purring up a storm, she wasn’t exactly a fan of that plan but she nodded,eyeing them with her own plea for their safe return. Yang put her hands on her hips, bulky arms made more threatening in the dim morning light and even she eventually acquiesced. “Yeah, yeah… if you die, I'll kill you for ruining the big day.”

“Good then, we'll keep you pos-” Before she could finish her sentence, a booming voice came from the back of the room and from Yang and Blake's startled turn, they weren't expecting it either.

“If we were to be eavesdropping, which we are not! We'd just say that you kids better show up here in one piece and soon!”

“Dad!”

“Listen to your father, young lady!” And with the vague sound of clomping feet, they were both scurrying away in a flurry of movement on the wooden floors.

‘ _ We’ll be approaching our last port of call before Menagerie in 20 minutes.’ _ The pilot said over the intercom and they all looked at the sorry state of undress they were in, scrambling to find appropriate coverings in case the pilot came over for a bite while trying to remain in the call.

“I think we’ve nailed down the details we needed for now, please get dressed before you have to pay yet another nudity fee.” Weiss commented with a small smile while Ruby snickered next to her, waving them away.

“We’ll give you a week and if you don’t tell us you kicked butt, we’re boarding the next bullet airship to your location.” Yang stated, Blake nodding in grave agreement and shaking the overstuffed wedding binder their way after saving it from her fiancee’s hands.

“Best of luck, guys. We’ll keep the mimosas chilled!”

 

* * *

 

 

One breath…

 

The raging battle calmed around her, her attention laser light focused on the Geist's exposed head.

 

Two breaths…

 

Time slowed to a grinding standstill, she felt herself vibrating faster than the molecules that composed the universe around her, rose petals fluttering in a non-existent breeze.

 

Three breaths…

 

Grimm was positioned in her sights and Crescent Rose was weightless, perfect, a piece of her made of metal and Dust.

 

_ Exhale _

 

The explosion from the cartridge and the corresponding recoil was as familiar to her as her own heartbeat.

A quick prayer bounced around her head and at last, the bullet made effective contact. An enraged screech pierced her consciousness, rattling all the primal places inside her and turning its attention square on her.

Sometimes a nudge is all that's needed to turn the tides of battle and Weiss’ Arma Gigas capitalized on the ensuing confusion to rip off the middle section and allowed Pyrrha to use all the metal rubble strewn about to tear it apart in one massive heave.

“Hold it down!” Ruby jumped up from her perch with a yell, blurring into a mass of red petals and hurtled at the Geist with all her might.

Crescent Rose unfolded into its scythe form, the muscles in her arms burning with the exertion of doing all of this while faster than the human eye could perceive.

The wicked blade made contact with the Grimm's midsection, horrifying squelch from the ichor making her flinch. To that, she could never get used to.

It exploded in a mess of black particles and just like that, their month long hunt was over with all the pomp and circumstance of dumping ashes from a backyard barbecue. The heroic stories of the legends of old always told of a resounding victory, a monster collapsing with a bang and the merry band of Huntsmen did something impossibly cool and noble but Ruby had soon learned that more often than not, the thing she desired the most was not showing up on the news.

Weiss pottered over to her side with a bottle of water, noon sun beating down on them and they surveyed the farm. One third of the buildings were gone, as well as a large chunk of produce bearing land but nobody had gotten seriously injured. They had soon learned as well that there were no perfect victories.

Something had to give.

“Let’s tell everyone they can return to what’s left of their homes.” Pyrrha started, fetching her scroll to dial Nora first thing. “And tell the crew we’re ok before they mount a rescue.”

Ruby and Weiss nodded, helping Jaune up and going to check on Ren who was holding onto his ribs with a slight wince. “Think about slowing down, Ren, even if you’re not directly assembling the little one.” Weiss admonished but it had been years since she had the reflex to conceal the overflowing care from her voice and he replied with a grateful smile.

“Perhaps it’s for the best, the fear that hit me when our foe got a good one in was disconcerting to say the least.” And Ren was the last person that would panic in their group but the topic of losing parents well too soon was near and dear to him. “I’ll talk this over with Nora but I am glad that we have eliminated this Grimm.” 

The residents of the farmstead streamed back in to the central square, breaking off into groups to further assess damages as the leader approached them. He was an older man, large like an Ursa and he was using what tactics he knew to seem like a bigger threat than he was. Out in Vacuo, only the most resilient made it and a small farmstead was ripe pickings for unscrupulous Hunstmen. “We cannot thank you enough for saving us from this monster but I cannot pay for all of you.” He was resolute in his words though the deep lines of his face turned grim and they winced at the meaning of such expression. “I beg of you, let us reach an agreement over goods but don’t destroy what little we do have.”

Ruby swallowed her discomfort and avoided thinking of the reality that some of their colleagues took the profit part far more seriously than they did the helping people survive bit. She glanced back at her team, receiving several nods and she fetched the pouch of Lien he had given her over a month prior at the start of their quest. “You should keep this, you’ll need it to fix the homestead that got destroyed.” With a smile, she tossed the pouch at him. “We’ll help clear the bigger rubble so you can put new things in. It’s the least we can do.” 

Their exchange had attracted the hopeful look of everyone else in the homestead and they gathered to hear her closer.

If he wasn’t expecting a team of Huntresses and Huntsmen of this caliber to, of all things, return payment despite success then the fact they would help them rebuild put such a monumental surprise on his face that it worried his family enough to come investigate.

“You’re serious?” And they were, for reasons he would not question into the ground. “Well then! Verdi!” He rounded on an older woman, almost barreling into her as he gesticulated for the cooks to fetch what equipment could be salvaged. “Select our best cow, we are having a feast today!"


	2. Sun's Out, Washing Tank Underwear Is Out!

The only ships coming out of Vacuo's transport hub were barely able heaps of trash, staying afloat in the air due to sheer spite of gravity and agreeable mechanics.

As far as Weiss and Ruby were concerned, it was basically a luxury cruise with naked dancers and bottomless spirits. They were exhausted beyond any reason, tired physically and mentally from the last 8 months out of civilization and all they wanted was to stop for just one second.

They were wrapped in a ratty military issue blanket, musty enough to have been from the last great war, and leaning against a halfway hidden nook between the countertop in the mess hall and the wall. Getting back to civilization was, indeed, a long and stress filled process.

“Well, well, well. Someone didn't wanna pay for beds.”

Weiss heaved a sigh at the voice and hid fully under the blanket, burrowing into Ruby's warm embrace and ignoring the newcomer.

“Maybe it's just to go with their whole brand of legendary Huntresses, can't let anyone know they like soft mattresses and all that.”

Ruby finally cracked one eye open and regaled them with a lopsided smile after spotting a pair of tan leather boots clomping around the small kitchen area followed by Blake's much softer steps.

“Hey guys.” She greeted, rubbing her cheek on Weiss’ messy bed hair. “We were chatting and fell asleep out here. The bed chambers are pretty cramped anyway” Full of dark shadows and lingering stress. “Too much cabin fever.”

Yang waved back, sitting down on the utilitarian metal stools with enough momentum to spin them around. “Oh boy, you fell asleep there about hmm… 32 hours ago, at least according to the frantic messages we got from team JNPR.” She pointed a thumb towards the rooming quarters. “After we decided by committee that you hadn't died, they have been eating whatever ration bars were lying around so as to not disturb you.”

Weiss poked her head out in a swirl of white hair, Ruby dutifully ducking away from any stray elbow as her girlfriend bolted upright. “Fuck on a stick! Really? You're not kidding?” She tried looking straight at Yang but the morning sun was hitting her golden hair smack from behind and all she managed was an ungraceful squint.

“We're here in the flesh, which means we are in Menagerie and ah yes, they've unloaded without you.” Blake said with a small chortle, her fuzzy ears twitching in amusement as Yang yanked her to her lap by the loop of her belt. They laughed as the stool swivelled again and even Weiss had to crack a ghost of a smile at the scene.

The world had infinite reasons to rob them of happiness, it was good to know that carefree was still in their repertoire.

“So, I guess you're the welcome wagon?” Ruby stood up, grabbing Weiss up and bundling her against her chest amidst some indignant huffing.

“Hey! You know, not everyone gets extended the atlesian carpet from the princess herself so be grateful we have deigned to receive you in your flying rusty can.”

Weiss wrapped her legs around Ruby’s torso for leverage and bent back, making an exaggerated courtly hand motion. “Oh, your highness forgive us we did not spot your luminescency from our lowly vessel.”

A huff and Blake was up from her cozy spot on her fiancee’s lap to the chuckles of her team. “Yeah, yeah laugh it up but I warn you the next person to call me princess has to accompany me to the diplomats ball next week.”

“Oh, a fancy engagement? If you have the clothing for it, I'll gladly be your plus one.” Weiss tapped Ruby's shoulder gently and she was sat down back on the floor.

“Dad would love nothing more than to take you for a fitting, discuss all that minutiae you just looove dealing with.” He had been waiting for them with a big modicum of impatience, that was for sure. “and I would marry you instead if you save me from the boredom.”

“Aw Blakey, come on! I went on the last four meetings.” Yang pleaded, sliding next to Blake to kiss at the nape of her neck. “Besides, does Weiss even know how to be in civilization? Eight months in Vacuo, a lot of time to forget how to put on underwear the right way.”

Ruby tossed Weiss her bag, picking up her own in the process. “Don't worry, it's written in her very genetic code! It's why we carry a set of meat utensils, then a set of fish utensils and tablecloth with us at all times.”

“I don't have a permanent residence but that does not mean I've stopped knowing proper decorum.”

“Even if we haven't changed underwear in days.”

Both of them winced at the reminder but Yang just patted their shoulders and hugged them close even though they were aggressively filthy with a smell pungent enough to be described as the ass end of an ass end. “Huntress life! Come on, let's get you to the bathing premises and to a proper meal.”

 

* * *

 

 

Weiss rolled her clothes in the washboard once more, staring critically at the bloodied and sweaty vest that was revealing its wear and tear in the morning sun. She'd have to procure a patch to fix it but she figured it would still be good enough to go another round of hunting.

If her father could see her now, elbow deep in the suds of the washing tank of the Chieftain’ Palace in Menagerie while trying to salvage an utterly unsalvageable vest she could more than afford to replace, Weiss suspected he would have a fit strong enough to send him to the afterlife.

Maybe she should make sure word of it got to him.

Ruby was busy scrubbing out her socks a little aways from her, chatting with Blake and Yang about their travels. It was early enough that most of their friends were still sleeping but the brides-to-be had way too much to organize and way too little time to do it so they weren’t allowed any sleeping in.

“When is Sun getting here anyway? He wouldn’t miss out all the fun of colour coordinating doilies.” Ruby started, tossing a wet sock at her indignant sister to which Blake snatched up before a full scale laundry war could explode on their washing tank.

“He’ll be here as soon as he finds a synonym for ‘We need to cross the ocean on a boat’ that doesn’t spook Neptune into an early grave.” She wagged a finger at Ruby, tossing back what was left of a brown sock that seemed to be more frayed ends and holes than sock. “So far, he has been unsuccessful but I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

“And please tell me you’ll use the damn washing machine on your underwear at least, I get it you have an image to keep but hand washing will not purge all the junk in there.” Yang didn’t want to think too hard on it but it merited being stated, just in case they had forgotten how to be in civilization.

“It’s cathartic! The weather is really good too, so it’s fun as well” Ruby replied and Weiss nodded her agreement as well. “Besides, did you know it’s the best place for gossip? We always head out to the washing tanks for recon and it usually pays off.”

“Yes for instance, Mrs.Raksha came out and we helped her with the west wing’s sheets and she shared with us how thin the walls can be and to be cautious of such during events that may preclude some noise.” At Weiss’ reply, their hosts had the grace to blush and look away.

Blake lifted her hands, conceding to Weiss and hoping that Mrs.Raksha (who was lovely and had been with them for the past 30 years) would not blab any more details of their personal life even though she was mostly convinced it was a lost cause. Ruby had a way with people that made them want to confide just about everything with her and Weiss had long since mastered humility and social skills, added to her trained charisma it was hard saying no to her.

“Point made! Still though, you're welcome to the washing machine.” Blake spotted Pyrrha, early riser, jogging nearby and she waved her over. “My parents should be back today, you feeling up for a big dinner? They are dying to catch up.”

Weiss lit up and nodded, brushing away a stray strand of hair from her face and Ruby gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up. Dinner with the Chieftan and Mrs.Belladonna was always a riot that ended up gathering most of the house staff plus whatever stragglers were around (usually Ilia, sometimes Sun).

“Good morning! Shouldn't someone be sleeping off the last hunt? You know, humongous Gheist, long trek, evaded everyone…”

Yang gesticulated at Weiss still scrubbing the bloodied vest with well more vigor than the busted cloth warranted and at Ruby stacking up her socks and pants on the marble rim of the tank and heaved a big, dramatic sigh. “You think those two sit their asses down for two minutes?”

“I’ll have you know that we…” Ruby started, stopping midway and looking at Weiss with a mischievous smirk that her girlfriend mirrored back at her, twitching the barest signal nod at her. “We have news! And we’ll share them later.”

“What?! That-”

A sock sailed through the air in a perfect arc, landing with a wet flop on Yang’s golden tresses and in the blink of an eye a free-for-all had installed itself in the washing tank before either Blake or Pyrrha could do any damage control.

(All of their clothes had to go into the washing machine at the end it anyway after Blake was shoved in the pond that was mostly scum to which she proceeded to snag everyone in as well)

 

* * *

 

 

“Girls! Gods bless you, it’s great to see you so well” Ghira stormed into his house, bundling up Weiss and Ruby in a tight hug. “If ever so thin! A good huntress is a plump huntress I always say”

“I’m sure Weiss will help you with your paperwork software without you having to butter them up, honey.” Khali was just as enthusiastic in her hugging as her husband, purring at them. Their home was made much better by Blake’s friends, good friends she had made along the way. If there ever was proof that the paths of life were tortuous and it was hard seeing where they were going, their daughter provided plenty of strong arguments for it.

“Why! I would never! But if I could just figure out the stupid automatic billing and maybe some help installing the new modules, I would be forever grateful.”

Weiss shook her head, a very Schnee type ugh escaping her lips before she could help herself. “Tell me about it.” She yanked out her scroll, tapping furiously on the expanded screen. “For how much a license costs a year, you'd expect new modules to work properly but I've only had troubles and complaints.”

Ghira and Weiss locked in complaining about terrible software updates, Khali snorted and turned to Ruby with a shake of her head. “Always the same, can’t quite convince them not to talk shop but bless the Gods that Weiss can keep up with him.” She leaned in and whispered cospirationally, pointing at both of them. “She’s about the only one that doesn’t start snoozing when he goes on about signature latency time. bulk approval of forms and whatnot.”

“Even though we were arguably in the middle of nowhere, Weiss was still getting messages from the SDC on her scroll about the new modules integrating badly.” More than once that she had to use her semblance plus some speed glyphs to get high up in the air to get enough reception for Weiss to troubleshoot the stupid program. Ruby half suspected Whitley was just being an annoying shit and having that forwarded to his sister when he more than knew she was always in the middle of nowhere.

“Poor girl can’t catch a break, even out on hunts.” There was an underlying scoff to Kali’s voice, she knew exactly why Weiss still had to deal with stupid things like that when she was clearly unavailable to do so. The only question she had was why did she still put up with her family’s demands.

Ruby frowned for a second, yeah she agreed with all the things that had been stated and unstated. Weiss deserved better, much better.

“Oh honey, I’m sorry I got your head all caught up in storm clouds.” Ruby realized that she was frowning down at the floor and her voice made her snap right up before she got a warm hug from Kali. “Don’t you worry bout a thing, life has a way of leading us where we have to be.”

“Can’t complain, I guess!” She hugged back just as tight, laughing at them waving their scrolls around and hollering complaints interspersed with much grumbled grievances. “We have something to tell you all but we’re saving it for dinner.”

Fuzzy ears perked and even Ghira turned back at that statement, swivelling his long torso about to grin at Weiss. “Oh, blessings of the gods upon our home! I can’t wait to hear it, by your faces it’s a good thing?” He clasped his hands together, sharp teeth beaming out of his smile. “Yes?”

Both of them nodded but before Kali could extract the information out of them without them even realizing it, the gang stormed into the dining salon.

“Look who we found!” Ilia waved from the middle of the gaggle of huntsmen and huntresses, all those years that had yet to make her less bashful around the Chieftain and his family.

Arguably, she rubbed elbows with state leaders more than all of them due to her position as High Leader but there was something about them she couldn't just shake. Maybe the fact that, unlike with say kindly old Lady Burlywood of Mistral or Marechal Citra from the tech division of Atlas, she had tried to eliminate them for the White Fang she now advised. It couldn’t be said that life around Blake wasn’t exciting, that’s for sure.

“I was fished from the market, Obsidian was making yet another impassioned case to try to alleviate one of his son's numerous wrongdoings and they were kind enough to rescue me.”

“His luck was that dinner was at 8 or otherwise I'd pass on the tongue lashing the Mistrali consul gave me about the subject.” Blake grumbled and Yang whistled in sympathy having heard it from her side of the bed at 4 am.

Blake herself was a high diplomat in Menagerie and they often worked together, alongside Yang when she wasn’t out doing...whatever it was that Yang did. She usually had a knack to somehow always be in the right place at the right time and more than once had she had come through for Ilia when the going got rough.

“Regardless” Her ears perked back up, tone softening before her parents could worry. It was definitely an issue for another time. “We were informed that dinner was served.” Blake smiled in clear amusement at her dad and Weiss with their scrolls out no doubt engaged in furious debate about ornery management software. “That is, if the software symposium is finished?”

“Yes, yes I have been adequately briefed on the less than proper occurrences of the new module. A most riveting discussion.”

Their faces said they were well aware that it was not even in the same continent of interesting but Weiss had summoned another ten thousand trouble tickets from SDC and support messages, capturing his attention again with unbridled delight as they milled towards the dining room.

Dinner was a noisy affair, full of laughter and the sort of joy that was capable of soothing the turbulent backdrop that always seemed to loom just out of sight. Beyond Salem’s suspicious silence and lack of activity, they still had to contend with the normal aches and worries of young adults trying to navigate their future.

Kali and Ghira were an oasis of comfort and guidance when between all of them there was nary a competent and non-eccentric force in their lives. Ruby, Ren, Nora, Yang and Weiss had fractured or altogether void family lives, Jaune’s dads were lovely but were about as eccentric as they came and Pyrrha’s mom was kind but ever so busy training a new generation of gladiators and warriors.

The milestones all seemed to be hurtling at them faster than they could react and more than once had there been some panicked scroll calls, a friendly ear never denied. In turn, Menagerie had grown to have an elite squadron of huntresses and hunstmen that cost them not a single Lien and only required some head pats over teary uncertainty with getting married, building houses or expecting their first child.

“...and then! I swear to the Gods, Ruby bodily hurled Crescent Rose through the air with one hand and it landed next to the landlord’s ear with a...” Weiss repeated the thunk the scythe sniper made when it was embedded in the wooden wall, causing a gasp from half the table. “And that’s how we got a small room in the middle of the badlands in Vacuo.” She tsked, for people so desperate for help only they could and were willing to provide, they sure were reluctant to provide a bare minimum service. “I would have left them to get eaten by the alpha Beowolf.” And everyone knew Weiss couldn’t leave injustice and pain alone so she was just bluffing. “But that’s why Ruby is the better half.”

“And team leader!” Ruby supplied, getting a fist bump from Yang with a woop. “Though I have to say I did consider but assholes or not, it’s our job to protect them.”

“Sometimes you just have to give them a little something something.” Nora interject with a flex of her bulky arms, lightning sparking a bit though them. “Buuuut, the ube roll is on the table and we still haven’t heard your big news!” She took a big bite of the cream and purple cake, smirking in their direction with a wave of her fork. “Stop stalling and spill ladies, or we’ll start guessing. 100 lien on pregnancy!”

“40 lien on shotgun wedding.” Even Pyrrha, sensible sensible Pyrrha was joining in on the ragging which prompted everyone to join in.

“90 lien on moving out to the desert to be hermits.”

“10 lien they are just being mysterious to dick us around.”

“50 lien on a joyous wedding.”

“200 lien…” Blake started, every pair of eyes on her and reclined back on the dark wood of her chair. “On accidental pregnancy!”

Even her parents, who preferred to sit back and listen in on the bright life they had managed to bring into their home, laughed at her words when Weiss huffed and Ruby groaned.

Weiss got up and her better half soon followed, standing in front of the giant ube roll with all of their eyes glued on them.  
“Despite your spectacular leaps of logic, we are actually going to…” she grabbed Ruby's hand, thumb rubbing over her knuckles as she tried to ground herself. This was it. “Buy a property in Patch and build a house there.”

“An actual permanent residence? You two?” Nora's surprise wasn't unfounded but Yang still bopped her shoulder. “ Hey, they have bummed on our living room couches more than once you know!” She turned to them, hands raised. “And we loved having you, mind, in fact I'm kinda sad you won't be flitting about living with us for a while.” It was always fun having more people in the house, Vale was far enough away from all their other friends and they did miss the whole Beacon/Haven/Atlas experience.

“However, we are very happy that you have decided to purchase your very own place to host kitchen appliances.” Ren commented, earning a nod from Nora. They were of the mind that they hoped their friends would keep dropping by, even with a child on the way. It would be a while before they could drop everything and just run off to wherever.

Jaune and Pyrrha were giving thumbs up, Ilia chuckled knowing full well they weren't going to slow down and Blake seemed to be the most surprised out of all of them.

“But that's not all, is it?” Kali asked, sensing there was a little more to the announcement but she could see her husband and Yang were containing their explosive excitement over it and would eventually cause a distraction if she didn't wrangle them in.

“Weiss has decided to accept a position with Signal academy, which guys we know was a joint orchestration from several parties.” Her friends, sister in law and sister mumbled to themselves and all looked away. “Yeah, yeah! But it worked, so I guess we've decided to see how it works out with me being less away but still a full time Huntress and Weiss teaching.”

“I'll be teaching but I'm going to be demanding an active duty clause.” It was a complicated situation for smaller schools, having to have a near permanent substitute on hand but she was sure she could impart knowledge that another less experienced or active teacher could not. “I doubt Signal will say no as I'm sure Tai and Qrow have made their cases for it and there are missions we still need to go the both of us.” And she knew when she set her eyes on negotiations, there was no stopping her.

“The plot down from us?!” Yang burst, getting up with a huge grin and the intense itch to bundle them both in a crushing hug. “It has soooo much space, you'll love it I promise and I've absolutely scouted the neighborhood and did background checks on all the neighbors and…”

“We are hoping to speak with the land developing authority in the coming week.” Ruby barely got her words in before both Blake and Yang snatched them up in a team hug.

Ilia hollered and started applauding, the rest of the table joining them and eventually attracting the attention of the house staff. Kali popped open the good bubbly while Ghira waved everyone in.

The years had been kind on them, very kind and perhaps the most amazing part was being able to provide safe harbour for young adults who had seen more than many elders in their island.

Their daughter hinted at classified things, done in the name of world orders long gone. Those kids had seen far more than they had any right to and what worried them the most was how much they didn't know about.

Alas, Ghira and Kali were used to the give and take of politics and secrets. Ultimately, they trusted them to act on the information if needed be but they knew they had burdens that could be too heavy to bear.

“A toast.” Their silent worry meeting was interrupted by Pyrrha raising her glass in the air. “To Ruby and Weiss for finally getting move on!”

Glasses clinked and more cheers erupted from the gathered crowd. Ruby and Weiss were still standing up, prompting Ruby to raise hers even higher and exclaiming with her full exuberance. “And a toast as well to all of us gathered here today. Despite it all, we thrive better and stronger than what those who have opposed us ever thought we would.”

“To all of our mentors, friends and family.” Weiss joined in, shooting a watery smile at Ghira and Kali. They had, even though she was a Schnee through and through, taken her in like it was nothing and darn if that didn't make her get her waterworks on. “We couldn't have done this without you.”

A final clink of glasses and a little more of their world was seemingly spinning on its axis.

 

* * *

 

 

The cap of the lighter clicked open, red Dust flame lighting up her cigarette and Weiss leaned onto the balcony of the ballroom. The summer night was pleasant enough that she could step out for a couple of minutes from the raging party inside without freezing her ass off.

“Didn’t take you for the sort but then again it’s a staple of atlesian soldiers.” Ilia closed the sliding door behind her, leaning her lower back against the railing and crossing her arms. “Got that from your sister or something?”

“In part I suppose, yes but I only smoke once every other time.” She extended her rumpled pack towards Ilia, shaking it a bit in offering. “My sister stretches the concept of chain smoking to it’s logical limits, if she’s off duty and idle you’ll hardly catch her not smoking.” Winter allowed herself that alone to relieve the massive stress she found herself under day in and day out, Weiss could hardly heap judgement even if it was a more or less crappy coping mechanism.

She waved the packet away with a shake of her head, ponytail swishing with the motion. “What’s the other part?”

“My grandfather was a veteran smoker all his life, to the point of having ignited more than one crate of Dust back in the day.” He always smelled like tobacco, either the pungent clinginess of burning cigars or the sweet aroma of unburnt flakes and that sensory feedback was seared into her brain “I suppose it helps me remember him, terrible as the notion may be but as far as our family’s penchant for addiction it’s not as bad as say” she tapped Ilia’s glass of beer with her index finger. “Alcohol.”

“You abstain? Like Yang?” They had talked about it once and she heard of the famous Qrow Branwen and his less than stellar relationship with alcohol. It made more than enough sense Yang would stay away from it, given how such things worked and it made her wonder if Weiss had those sort of skeletons in her closet as well.

“I’ve seen enough family members jump that gun often enough to know I don’t need it in my life. Ruby doesn’t drink either and Blake only drinks socially at best so it’s an easy thing to keep.”

A nod. Made sense, was good practice in fact. Ilia had gotten immense experience in dealing with people, teams, groups and the whole of the White Fang before she made it to High Leader and had seen first hand the spiralling issue it could become.

“How are things, High Leader?” Ah it was time to do their old song and dance.

“Could be a little better, Mistress Schnee.” She replied, stretching back on the railing with a sigh. “Atlas, always the same! Could you loosen up just a tiny damn fraction? No? That snowflake haunts my dreams lately.”

“Does it help if I tell you it haunts mine too?” She reached into her back pocket and grabbed a disposable scroll, handing it to Ilia. “You might find things there to help you ease your troubles. Please make it actionable, you know I don’t like knowing the details.” Cowardice, she knew, but Ilia and her had a working agreement where she didn’t want to know but also didn’t get in the way when it came to providing insider information. “But the skim was enough to know there are courses that need correcting.”

Ilia called up the documents, her jaw setting in with corded tension and her colour changing to a mottled yellow and red. Exploits, loopholes, labour lobbies…grim tidings indeed.

“Have I ever told you how glad I am that you're on our side? If nothing else, Blake going to Beacon got you to yank the Schnee stick off your ass.”

Despite the comment, Weiss snorted and took a long drag from her cigarette. “Well, I'm glad you landed on the good side of history as well. Blake hanging us out to dry those two years was also good, if nothing else to knock some sense into you.”

They both laughed at the summarized conclusion of Blake's timely intervention in their lives. She inspired people to be their best selves so effortlessly just by being driven and passionate about her causes. Those very same things had made her into a cherished diplomat for Menagerie, especially with Yang’s aid when it came to charisma and some of the people skills that could be a bit blundered by Blake’s relentless drive.

“My ears are burning, ladies.” The girl herself stuck her torso out the balcony window, leaning over on her arms and nearly slipping down to faceplant the wood flooring where it not for Jaune’s scrambling to catch her by her belt and stabilizing her in position. “Woop! No more talking shop!”

“And no more big, colourful cocktails for you Blake.” Weiss’ comment was brushed away with an imperative ‘psh’ sound and a hand wave that nearly dislodged her from her precarious perch on the window sill.

“I’m fiiinne...Now, come back inside!”

 

* * *

 

 

Yang sat back down again at their table when she saw Jaune had managed to snag Blake from the window, Nora snorting into her pineapple juice cup.

“She’s beauty, she’s grace!”

“Big talk for someone who can’t spend more than 3 hours without having to pee.” It wasn’t that Nora wasn’t right but Yang had to at least play a bit on Blake’s team.

“Ha! Try being pregnant and then we’ll talk.” She rebuked, tossing a smug smile at Yang with a wink.

“Yang being pregnant is a pox upon our family I don’t think even Salem can match!” Now it was Ruby on her case, dramatically leaning back on her chair with the back of her hand to her forehead and a clutch near her heart.

Yang kicked Ruby’s chair back but Pyrrha activated her Semblance just in time to hold it in place, sipping from her coffee mug with a calm smile before speaking up. “I think that, having let Nora do so first, we get all the crazy out of this situation. No offense, Yang but you have nothing on her.”

Nora shot her a look with a huff but a new song started and a mischievous smirk broke out on her face. “Oh, look! Our song! Come on!” Pyrrha was hauled up, sputtering that she couldn’t dance but she was unphased, plonking her down in the middle of the ballroom.

"There she goes, wel-p Pyrrha might just be right." Yang conceded, grabbing a bunch of small glasses lying around and making them spin on the table top. "Now, now, now... you're at the mercy of your awesome sister!"

Ruby snorted into her drink, eyeing her with humourous suspicion. "Oh yeah? What are you going to do, give me the shovel talk on Weiss' behalf cause let me tell you Winter approved" she thumped her chest with a grin. "And if I got hers, I have anyone's."

"Psh, nothing nearly as basic as that. What I really wanna know is if you're happy with this." The glasses she had been spinning on the table clinked precariously against each other and Yang pawed them to a haphazard stop. “You two are about to dramatically change the pacing of your life and I gotta ask at least once... You sure?”

A bed, a kitchen, a home. Life had been good so far, hard but it taught them lessons they had needed to come to their present day and Ruby had soaked in all of what could be in the past days. They could have poolside parties, a big yard for nieces and nephews to play with, roomy enough for Weiss’ crappy family to listen to the ceremony and...

Maybe even little ones of their own, tumbling around with pets and cousins of all stripes. Yang looked at her expectantly while she was lost simulating the next twenty years of her life. "Pretty solid, sis. The last decade felt super right for us and now this feels just as right, you know?”

“Oh no, my baby sister is all grown up!”

The bone crushing hug that followed was 70% boobs and at least 55% biceps, the table corner between sisters be damned.

"Yang! You're smothering me with your chest!"

 

* * *

 

 

It was late at night when they wrapped up their catching up with Blake's parents, so late that dawn was cracking over the mirrored calmness of the sea and a hint of light lit the horizon as they stumbled back to their room.

"Remind me to not let Yang arm wrestle Nora again."

"Ruby, we've been saying that for like a decade now and it hasn't happened yet." Weiss said, collapsing on the soft mat with an unceremonious fwomp and glancing over at where Ruby was taking off her clothes. “The best we can do is minimize bruised egos and property damage plus....”

She trailed off, the heavy look that Ruby was leveling at her making her heart skip like one of Blake’s bawdry novels. The red of her hair flared against the sliver of sun already peeking through their window and if there was ever a time her lover seemed ethereal, Remnant's great protector made flesh, it was in these quiet moments of love and affection.

Her silver eyes, haunting on their best of days, seemed to glimmer with a sort of intimacy that stripped them both bare of all pretenses and exposed her beating soul to the universe. Ruby's face broke into a smile that seemed to contain all of the world's tenderness and not for the first time Weiss was in awe that that particular one was directed at her and her alone.

"You're looking at me in a woefully sappy manner." And Weiss rode right with it, giving back as good as she was getting while still trying to salvage the scraps of her blushing composure. She had learned iron strength in softness, resilience in caring and humility in partaking in the sharing of her inner heart with her friends but no one could discombobulate her ever so swiftly like her partner.

Though, she never missed the chance to reciprocate in kind. Ruby snapped back to her bouncy self on the very same instant, blushing fiercely and tossing herself into their bed.

" Well, yeah! I have like a ton of reasons to be sappy right now." She turned on her back and started counting off her fingers. " We beat the gheist with an inch of their miserable existence, we're actually building a house, we are all safe and sound and happy and wow you know Nora is so big! Gods, I hope the little one likes me…" She had stopped counting and was now flailing her arms up toward the ceiling, recapping their adventures at breakneck speed. "My sister and Blake are getting suuppperrr married! You are here with Mrs. And Chieftain Belladonna and you're so happy and Im mega happy everyone is happy." Ruby finished it in one breath, dropping back on the mess of pillows and flopping her bangs around. "You know?"

Weiss turned on her side, facing Ruby with a fond smile and reaching over to entwine her fingers on her rough hands. "Fortunately, I do know and a big part of that is because of you.” Otherwise she would probably have been shafted into a middling team in Atlas Academy to have a purposely middling education and either get snatched up by General Ironwood or progress back to her little golden cage. “I love you.”

“Aw…” A blush. “I love you too, Ice Queen! I didn’t even help you thaw that much, it was all you!”

“Now you’ve ruined it, you dolt!” But there was no heat to her grump and they both knew it which prompted Ruby to try and smooch her while Weiss weaseled out of her affection.

Their night ended with both of them on the floor, nightstand knocked over in their tumble out of the plush bed in a peal of laughter, cheeks rosy and eyes watering.

Life was good.

 

_We can hear you have loud, kinky sex over there! Tone your ass down or we’ll be shunting you to the livestock quarters._

_Signed: Team BY_


End file.
